Riding down the street today, two young gentlemen approximately 50 yards in front of me stepped out into the road. It was obvious that they were oblivious to the fact that a car was coming. I blew the horn to get their attention. They continued to ever so slowly mosey across the street, only tossing a casual glance in my direction, then both of them flipped me off with gusto while shouting something that sounded like F*** YOU!

I was forced to slow down or I would have run over them. After such a rousing show of love and affection portrayed though the middle finger salute, I’ll admit that I had to fight the urge to take my foot off the brake and slam it into the accelerator.

That got me to thinking. Isn’t there a law that could be brought to bear here?

While I couldn’t find anything in North Carolina jurisprudence, I did discover that thanks to the ACLU of Pennsylvania, motorists in that state are free to swear at and give the finger to police officers and other motorists, thus lowering public decency another notch. Meanwhile, the officers themselves will be forced to undergo “training” on the “right” to flip people off.

The Bible states: “A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.” (Proverbs 15:1). In his Rules of Civility, George Washington wrote rule no. 49: “Use no reproachful language against anyone, neither curse nor revile.” Rule no. 1?  “Every action done in company ought to be done with some sign of respect to those that are present.”

The two fellows on Wrightsville Avenue today would learn much by reading ol’ George or the Good Book.

I’m just glad I’m not a Pennsylvania trooper.